Reader's Digest #1: Web 2.0, Ajax, JSON

Every so often I make myself a "Library Day". This tradition roots to my scientific background. We were supposed to keep one day a week for reading. It was a priviege and a duty for a scientist. It became a matter of survival for hi-tech professional, consultant, or any knowledge worker.

From now on I will be sharing selected highlights on my blog as "Reader's Digest". Regularity and volumn may and will vary, for now I target monthly issues. Today is the #1.

What the heck is Web 2.0? Beats me all the time as I get exposed to Markitecture stuff and VP talks. Here is Paul Graham's take on Web 2.0:

More from Paul Graham. I read his essey Writing, Briefly. Then I printed two copies - one for me, one for my son. We'll read it daily till it sticks. If you are into writing, tell me & I'll print you a copy. Or serve yourself: http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html

Introduction to Ajax - simple and well laid, with references to details on Ajax components and examples of successful Ajax apps. Augmented with FAQ section.

"The biggest challenges in creating Ajax applications are not technical. The core Ajax technologies are mature, stable, and well understood. Instead, the challenges are for the designers of these applications: to forget what we think we know about the limitations of the Web, and begin to imagine a wider, richer range of possibilities."
.............. Jesse James Garrett

The technologies are mature indeed, but implementations are still too complex, costly, and therefore rare. I worked on a project doing pretty much the same Ajax thing in 2000-2001. Now browsers are 3 versions up, CSS improved and DTHML became XHTML, but there no real technological breakthrough since. Browser's [un]compatibility, support of standards, maintability & testability of complex JavaScrip code, lack of tools and frameworks - the technical challenges are still there. Yet if you are a designer, time to shift a paradigm. Get ready.

From the FAQ I digressed into JSON (JavaScript Object Notation). I'm glad I landed there, and so would you if you strive for simplicity and feel that XML is too fat for your inter-app communications.